Greater Love Hath No Man
by TheWillowTree
Summary: 2nd in Choices and Consequences Series. Sequel to Time to Say Goodbye. Buffy's gone, Spike's in Willow's room, what else could go wrong?


Greater Love Hath no Man  
  
By Isis Osiris  
  
  
  
I thought I'd never get out of that chair. I almost feel sorry for Spike, only I shouldn't, because he almost killed Buffy and Angel before he was in a wheelchair. But still, it nearly drove me crazy, being stuck sitting down all the time, and it was just ridiculous. I mean, I got hit on the head. My feet and legs were just fine. But the doctors said I had to stay in the wheel chair for a couple of weeks, just in case, so I did. And now, I'm free, and Oz is going to come over and celebrate my newfound mobility… though I don't think we'll be doing much walking…  
  
Oz has been so sweet about all of this. He says he doesn't deserve me, but it's the other way around. I mean, he's accepted that vampires and other demons exist, and he's nearly gotten killed several times. Plus, when Buffy left, he stepped in and helped us take over for her. And he never complains when we're interrupted by vampires, even though I know he'd like to. Compared to this, my accepting him as a werewolf is nothing. I mean, I already knew that they existed, and I also knew that not all non- human creatures are evil… take a look at Angel, for instance. Not Angelus, but the good Angel, that saved our lives, 'cause the bad Angelus is… was evil. But now he's not, and he's gone, too, so there's not much point in this, and I'm babbling again. Oz is supposed to stop me, but he's not here, so I'll stop myself.  
  
So Oz is coming over, and we're going to have fun. Buffy would be so proud. I'm not shy little Willow any more. Well, maybe a little shy still, but I've grown up a lot in the past year. She saw the beginning of it, but I wish she were here. We haven't heard anything from her since that one note. I… I still don't know why she couldn't have come to us… it's so unfair! We live on the Hellmouth too, and we don't run away from it. Besides, it's her sacred duty. I know she doesn't like it, but she's been through all of that with Giles before. I know I should sympathize, 'cause she did die once already, but she left us alone, with no protection.  
  
Oh, there's the door. It must be Oz. Oh, I'm not ready, and my room's a mess!  
  
"Come on in! I'll be down in a minute." Oh no oh no oh no. Umm… hair brushed, check. Lip gloss, check. Shoes… flats or heels? I don't want to sprain my ankle the day I start walking again, so flats. Check. Now, for my room. I didn't think I had so many clothes. Okay, sweaters in the drawer, shoes at the edge of the bed, skirts and dresses in the closet. Okay, almost done, and…  
  
"Yipe! Oz, I said I'd be down in a minute. Take your hands off of my eyes, they're cold. Oz, why are your hands cold?"  
  
"Because I'm not Oz, pet."  
  
"Spike? How did you… I mean, You're not… You can't come in without an invitation."  
  
"Well, you just said for me to come on in. I think that qualifies as an invitation."  
  
"But I thought that you were… oh boy."  
  
"Doesn't matter. The point is, I'm here, and I don't plan on leaving any time soon. I also don't fancy becoming dust, so why don't you come sit down where I can keep an eye on you?"  
  
I quickly complied and sat next to him on the edge of my bed. "Why are you here, Spike? Buffy said that you'd taken Dru and left town. She said you weren't coming back." I tried unsuccessfully to keep the trembling out of my voice.  
  
"I did. And now that Dru's gone, I'm back. What can I say, this place just seems like home. Now, don't you want to know why I'm here, pet?"  
  
"Well… I… I mean, I don't know. Does it involve me becoming a blood donor?"  
  
"Only if you want to. See, here's the thing." Spike lay back on my bed and rested his head on his hands. "I've taken a fancy to you, so I'll give you a choice. Either join me for eternity, or I'll kill you."  
  
"That's not much of a choice, Spike. Why would I want to be a vampire?"  
  
"The real question is why wouldn't you. If you decide not to become a vampire, I kill you and then go after all of your friends, one by one. So, if you're going to be dead anyway, why not be undead?"  
  
"But why me, Spike? I mean, I'm not at all like Druscilla, and I'm not a Slayer like Buffy, or pretty like Cordelia, or --"  
  
"Who told you you weren't pretty?" He sat up and stared into my eyes.  
  
"Well, no one directly, but I'm not blind. And neither are the guys at school."  
  
"They just don't know what to see. Think of it, though. You have a chance to get away from all of the people who never noticed you. You could be a queen, Willow." His voice grew soft, and I felt myself being pulled into his spell.  
  
"No! I can't, Spike. I just can't. It's wrong, and I couldn't live with being a vampire. Okay, so I wouldn't be alive, but still, I… I can't do that. It'd be going against everything I believe in."  
  
"Or you could be dead, along with all of your bloody friends. And I promise you, it will be bloody. And painful." He stood and began to walk away.  
  
"Wait. You never answered my question. Why me?" He stopped, turned, and sat beside me, so close that I could feel the coolness radiating from his skin.  
  
"You were wrong."  
  
"What?"  
  
"When you said you weren't like Dru. You're wrong. You have the same fire… the same unbreakable spirit that I fell in love with. You're not psychic, or insane, but that's even better. I was always afraid that she'd forget that she couldn't go out in the sun, which she ultimately did. I… I was asleep, and she said she was going out for a walk. I didn't realize that she meant outside until… until it was too late. But her soul… her essence… it's in you, Willow. You would make quite the vampire." He slowly raised his hand to trace the line of my cheek and finger a lock of my hair. I sat there, silent, for a few moments. When I finally spoke, it was so soft, that even he, with his vampiric senses, could not hear me.  
  
"How long?"  
  
"What, pet?"  
  
"How long do I have to decide? You can't expect me to make a decision like this on an impulse. Besides, you should at least give me time to say goodbye. I mean, I'll never see any of these people again, right?" A thought struck me. "If I do choose to join you, how do I know you won't kill my friends anyway? I mean, Buffy's not --"  
  
"Not what?"  
  
"Not going to take this well, if I just disappear and suddenly show up as a vampire. You don't want an angry Slayer after you, and I don't particularly want to be dusted right after rising." I mentally slapped myself for all but telling a vampire that the Slayer had abandoned the Hellmouth.  
  
"I promise you that as soon as you've been changed, we'll leave Sunnydale and you'll never see any of them again. I give you my word that I won't hurt any of them."  
  
"So, how long?"  
  
"How long do you need? And don't plan on telling the Slayer or any of your friends about this. If you do, I hold no promises for their safety, and they will stake you if they know you're a vampire."  
  
"Can I have until tomorrow night? I… I need to tell them something so they won't worry about me. They won't find it until after we're gone though. I… I wouldn't do that to you or to them."  
  
"Alright, then. Tomorrow night. Meet me at the cemetery an hour after sunset with your decision. If you don't show, I'll assume that you choose to have the deaths of your friends on your soul and start my hunt."  
  
"Tomorrow night. At the cemetery." I repeated, trying to make a list of things to do in the next twenty-four hours. Spike walked to the door, and I followed numbly. As he stepped out of my room, he turned and kissed me once before leaving. Once he was gone, I slid to the floor and attempted to make sense of the thoughts and emotions coursing through me. He hadn't been gone for long when I heard the door again. This time, I descended the stairs and answered it myself.  
  
"Oz! Hi. You're late. What happened."  
  
"Oh, uh, my van had a flat tire. I had to change it. I was gonna call, but I didn't think it would take so long. Is everything okay? You seem a bit… wigged."  
  
"Who, me? No, everything's fine, now. Come on in." I pulled him inside and shut the door, determined to enjoy my last evening alive. 


End file.
